159 Congresspeople Vote For Bad Government and Sicker Kids

September 26, 2007

Bill Scher

The House passed the expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program last night, 265-159. 40 Republicans and four Democrats — who last month voted against healthy kids — now felt the pressure, recognized that the conservative misinformation campaign was a failure, and switched their votes.

Yet enough conservatives voted for bad government and sick kids, preventing the bill from getting two-thirds support of the House, meaning they would be able to sustain an expected Bush veto.

Obstruction of the public will may still reign once again.

However, the issue may well get increased attention after the veto — rare as they’ve been — is actually cast. And then, the pressure may increase even more.

One Republican congresswoman lamented, “The administration has come to this debate very late, and, as a result, they’re asking us to take one for the team here.”

After the veto, voters may want to ask: why should our kids have to take one for your team?

A mass refusal by the public to watch Donald Trump on TV will deprive him of big ratings, which he routinely uses to create a false impression of widespread popularity.

About Bill Scher

Bill Scher is the Online Campaign Manager at Campaign for America's Future, and the executive editor of LiberalOasis.com. He is the author of Wait! Don't Move To Canada!: A Stay-and-Fight Strategy to Win Back America, a regular contributor to Bloggingheads.tv and host of the LiberalOasis Radio Show weekly podcast. He has opinion articles that have been published by the New York Times, Minneapolis Star Tribune and Omaha World-Herald, and has made appearances on CNN, MSNBC and NPR among other TV and radio outlets.